Film Review‘Worlds Apart’

Das Cabinet Des Cr. CaligariDirector: Robert Wiene

Release: 1920

Director: Robert Wiene

Screenplay by: Hans Janowitz, Carl Mayer

Produced by: Rudolf Meinert, Erich Pommer

Genre/subgenre: Horror

Country: Germany

Cast:Werner Krauss (as Dr. Caligari), Conrad Veidt (as Cesare), Friedrich Feher (as Francis), Lil Dagover (as Jane Olsen), Hans Heinrich von

Twardowski (as Alan), Rudolf Lettinger (as Dr. Olsen)

Figure 01. Poster: Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari

The basic storyline of this film is about a man telling a story of events he has been through to get to the point he is in now, he explains an elaborate tale of a Dr. controlling a somnambulist to commit murder of people he meets at his sideshow in a

circus. The story goes on to reveal a twist at the end.

It is explained in the extras of the DVD, a feature- length commentary by film Scholar Mike Budd, that one of the main reasons for making a film with such extravagant sets yet keeping the story with continuity was because of WW1, and how during the war the main industry of film was coming out of hollywood, and for the Germans to have a chance at getting their films seen they had to be different. This is where it was interesting for the expressionistic Avant-Guard creations to become part of the commercial industry. A mix of Popular and commercial, smooth method of telling the story with the artistic and modernist expressionist sets, make-up, costume and acting. This of course was also the perfect recipe to create the insanity of the plot.

Figure 02 shows one of the sets from the interior of a building, more precisely the main room where Dr. Caligari keeps Cesare in a box. The plain insanity of the description is visibly evident with the painted shadows on the wall and warped perspective and

wall proportions.

Figure 02. Dr. Caligari with Cesare.

Figure 03. Cesare in his trance carrying Jane.

Figure 03 is a screenshot of Cesare in his trance carrying Jane. This is a clear image of the dead looking organic life, crooked misshapen street lamps and walls.

Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari is ‘a film of delusions and deceptive appearances, about madmen and murder, and his character exist at right angles to reality.’ (Ebert, 2009) yet the method in which this film has been produced is a mixture of the ‘popular’ where the story in general is smoothly edited and clear to follow, but with an ‘artistic’ technique of discontinuity shown by the

abstract sets and creative paths the sets lay out.

Figure 04. Dr. Caligari Close-up.

In conclusion the production design and stylistic visuals of this film greatly collaborate with the silent nature of this film, a film about madness, and without voices leave the audience in a world of their own minds with this artistic manipulation of the senses.

‘Caligari creates a charcoal-drawn world that accommodates these extravagant mannerisms with heavy make-up and dark costumes intensifying the attitudes of the players.’ (Hilditch, 2001), Figure 04 is an example of this. also the bold lighting as if

there is some sort of search light looking for the madman.

Even the titles to the film are in jagged form to add to the horror and madness to this strange distorted world, its an introduction to the theme before even having first glances of the film. This film throughout it’s existence has had a large variety of audience, first being for commercial theatres, and then entering into the art world for it’s creative style being shown in art centres and to

students worldwide for it to be disected metaphorically and visually.

Film Goofs: from IMDb

• Continuity: When Alan and Francis part company, they are initially right next to each other, but then at arm's reach.• Continuity: There is an inconsistent positioning during the struggle on the bed between Cesare and Jane.• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Although Cesare is described as being a

somnambulist - that is, a sleepwalker - he actually appears to be a narcoleptic, someone who has seizures in which they appear to have fallen asleep.

• Revealing mistakes: In most prints, many of the shots have a bar across the top of the frame resembling the bottom edge of the same frame. This flaw may have been present in the original version.

List of Illustrations:

Figure. 01. Poster: Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari. (1920) From: Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari. Directed by: Robert Wiene [Film Poster] Germany: Decla-Bioscop.

http://myuca.ucreative.ac.uk/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=null&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_18396_1%26url%3D (Accessed on: 22/10/2011)

Figure 02. Dr. Caligari with Cesare. (1920) From: Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari. Directed by: Robert Wiene [Film Still] Germany: Decla-Bioscop.

http://blog.veoh.com/veoh-blog/2011/8/23/veoh-presents-the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-1919.html (Accessed on: 22/10/2011)

Figure 03. Cesare in his trance carrying Jane. (1920) From: Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari. Directed by: Robert Wiene [Film Still] Germany: Decla-Bioscop.

http://www.grayclouds.net/adam/blog/?cat=26 (Accessed on: 22/10/2011)

Figure 04. Dr. Caligari Close-up. (1920) From: Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari. Directed by: Robert Wiene [Film Still] Germany: Decla-Bioscop.

http://domantasinn.blogspot.com/2010/11/cabinet-of-dr-caligari-1920.html (Accessed on: 22/10/2011)

Bibliography:

Audio Commentary- Feature Length by film Scholar Mike Budd. From: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920) Directed by: Robert Wiene [DVD] Germany: Decla- Bioscop AG.

Ebert, Roger (1920) Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. In: Chicago Sun-Times 03.06.2009 [Online] http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090603/REVIEWS08/906039987/1023 (Accessed on: 21.11.2011)

Hilditch, Nick (1920) Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. In: BBCi - Films 01.03.2001 [Online] http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/03/01/cabinet_of_dr_caligari_1920_review.shtml (Accessed on: 21.11.2011)